Kites Over Kingston returns for its seventh year of drawing families to downtown Kingston to fly a kite, enjoy a little face painting, live music, crafts and an all-around good time. The high-flying fun begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. on March 29 at Mike Wallace Park at the Kingston Marina.

“It’s families and fun with kites,” said Melanie Poole of Windermere Real Estate, which is sponsoring the annual event.

“It’s a good reason to get out of the house and dance to some music,” she said. “The kids get their faces painted and do some crafts. Have fun in your community.”

This year, Windermere is adding a crafts feature for kids. Poole said that the line for face painting got pretty long in the past, and she hopes this will spread out the demand.

“There’s kite book marks, and a kite foam craft that they can hang on a wall,” Poole said.

The Washington Kitefliers Association will also be present to guide people through the process of making their own kites.

“It’s totally free, other than the food,” Poole said of the festival, noting that there will be tacos, hot dogs, hot cocoa and cookies for sale.

Kites of all shapes and sizes, flown by the young and young-at-heart, grace the skies over the Kingston waterfront. Poole said that it’s a community event for all.

In the end, it’s all about community fun.

“We’ve had someone show up dressed as Peter Pan before. It’s lots of fun,” Poole said. “People dance. They don’t have to fly a kite. People picnic and watch the kites.”

The event has grown in popularity in the seven years since taking flight in Kingston. Poole said that the last couple of years have been a particular success.

“The last couple years, it’s been fabulous,” she said. “The numbers keep growing. At least 150, maybe 200 (people) throughout the day. It’s becoming more and more popular.

“I have people calling me about it from down south (in Washington) or over in Seattle and companies that I’ve never heard of that do marketing for kites,” Poole added. “So, it’s like it is becoming a big thing.”

Keep an eye out for donation jars while launching kites in Kingston this weekend. The event also uses its visibility to raise money for the Kingston Food Bank.

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